Vending gate for slant shelf vending machines

ABSTRACT

A vending gate for gravitationally movable articles on a slant shelf comprising a first movable gate having a normal position in the path of a first article and a second movable gate having a normal position out of the path of the article next behind the first article with a linearly reciprocating drive element operated by a solenoid to move the gates from their normal positions in timed relation such that the second article is restrained from movement while the first article is movable for vending.

United States Patent [72] inventor Franklin D. Klem Pittsburgh, Pa. [21 Appl. No. 874,650 [22] Filed Nov. 6, 1969 [45] Patented Aug. 31, 1971 [73] Assignee Westinghouse Electric Corporation Pittsburgh, Pa.

[54] VENDING GATE FOR SLANT SHELF VENDING MACHINES 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figs.

52 us. (:1 221/251, 221/293, 221/298 [51] Int. Cl 607i 11/26- 501 Field 6: Search 194/2; 221/298, 295,293, 289, 270,251, 125, 129

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,993,623 6/1961 BBndOI 221/298 Aidlinm,

3,105,610 10/1963 22l/298X 3,190,493 6/1965 1611115611.... 221/129x 3,348,733 10/1967 1611115611 221/298 3,464,589 9/1969 06611 221/295 Primary ExaminerRobert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Thomas E. Kocovsky Attorneys-F. H. Henson and F. E. Blake ABSTRACT: A vending gate for gravitationally movable articles on a slant shelf comprising a first movable gate having a normal position in the path of a first article and a second movable gate having a normal position out of the path of the I article next behind the first article with a linearly reciprocating drive element operated by a solenoid to move the gates from their normal positions in timed relation such that the second article is restrained from movement while the first article is movable for vending.

VENDING GATE FOR SLANT SHELF VENDING MACHINES CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS So far as is known, this invention is not related to any pending patent applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Slant shelf vending machines of the type in which an article is gravitationally movable on a slant or inclined shelf to a vending position are well known. More recently a so-called Serpentine" slant shelf vending machine having increased capacity for a particular item has become very popular with vending machine operators. Since these machines are commonly used to vend cold canned drinks their magazines are contained in refrigerated cabinets. It is of course desirable to provide an inexpensively constructed yet simple and reliable gate mechanism to control the article vend and such objectives are more easily obtained if the gate parts are fabricated to simple forms from sheet metal and the use of rotating electric motors, gears together with complicated cam and lever mechanisms is avoided.

PRIOR ART Reference may be made to the following listed U.S. Pat. Nos. whichin the opinion of applicant disclose gate arrangements that are functionally similar to his invention but do not anticipate the details of the particular novel arrangement thereof.

2.993.623 Bendot July 25, I961 CI. 22l298 3.348.733 Johnson Oct. 24, I967 Cl. 221-298 2.956.600 Nordquist Oct. l8, I960 C1. 194-2 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, a linearly reciprocable drive element or slide formed of sheet metal is connected to a spring and solenoid in a manner to be moved from a normal position in one direction when the solenoid is energized and returned to the normal position by the spring when the solenoid'is deenergized. A first pivotal gate member is mounted to have a normal position in the path of a first gravitationally movable article on the slant shelf and is connected through a cam slot and roller lost motion mechanism to the slide to be movable out of its normal position in the path of movement of the first article during the past portion of the movement of the slide when the solenoid is energized for a vending operation. A second pivotal gate member having a normal position out of the path of movement of the second article next behind the first article on the slant shelf is connected to the slide by a simple inclined surface and roller to be movable into the path of movement of the second article during a first part of the reciprocal movement of the slide when the solenoid is energized and before the first gate is moved from its normal position. Both of the first and second gates may be simply constructed from sheet metal and are pivotally mounted in such a manner as to be actuated through simple roller contacts with the appropriate cam portions of the reciprocal drive element or slide. Since the gate parts and the articles are refrigerated the articles may tend to freeze in place on the shelf so that the first article may not immediately move towards the vending station and this invention provides a movable pawl element that is interconnected to the slide and first gate member in a manner to be moved into contact with the first article and positively move it past the first gate as the first gate is moved from its normal position. Again, this pawl member may. be simply fabricated from sheet metal or the like.

Further objects, features and the attending advantages of the invention will be apparent with reference to the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1' is a fragmentary view of the discharge end of a slant shelf with the vending gate. of the invention shown in section on line II of FIG. 4 and with the gate parts in the normal position to prevent the discharge of the first article on the shelf;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the vending gate parts in their positions during the first part of travel of the solenoid upon its energization for a vend operation by which the first vending gate remains in the blocking position and the second vending gate has been moved into blocking position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 but showing the parts in their positions assumed when the solenoid has fully operated to move the first gate to the position permitting gravitational movement of the first article on the slant shelf while the second article is prevented from moving by the position of the second vending gate;

FIG. 4 is a section on the line IVIV of FIG. I; and

FIG. 5 is a wiring diagram to show one electrical arrangement for energizing and operating the vending solenoid for a single vend operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The vending gate of the invention will be described in connection with FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings in which the slant shelf is shown at 10. In its preferred form, the end of .the slant shelf 10 that supports the gate mechanism is actually a U-shaped channel member of 7 sheet metal affixed to the end of the inclined shelf 1 l of the storage magazine not shown. It should be understood that the slant shelf 11 of the storage magazine may be of any suitable form butin the preferred embodiment of the invention it may comprise a so-called Serpentine" storage rack in a form which is well known to those skilled in the art. Cylindrical articles such as cans are shown at 12 through 16 and in the following description the first can or article to be vended is shown as article 12 while the article next behind the first article is shown as article 13. It is of course the function of the vending gate mechanism of the present invention to permit the movement of the first article 12 to a vending position while restraining the movement of the second article 13.

An electric solenoid 20 having an armature 21 is connected by'the pin 22 to a reciprocal slide or drive element 23 and the spring 24 normally maintains the slide 23 and armature 21 in the position shown by FIG. 1 so long as the solenoid coil 20 is deenergized. The slide 23 is formed of sheet metal with upstanding ear portions such as shown at 25 and 26 on which are rotatably mounted rollers 27 and 28 respectively. The slide 23 is supported for move'ment by means of the pins 29 and 30 that are secured to the depending sidewalls of the channel shelf structure 10. Of course the slide 23 may be mounted in any other suitable arrangement and this invention is not limited to the particular form of support including the pins 29 and 30 as described for the movable slide 23. A first movable gate member formed of sheet metal is shown at 35 to be pivotally mounted at 36 and a depending wall portion of the gate 35 is shown at 37 to have a cam slot 38 through which the roller'28 of the slide 23 extends. During a first part of the movement of the armature 21 when the solenoid 20 is energized, the roller 28 moves through the portion 39 of the slot 38 without changing the normal position of the first vending gate 35 as shown by FIG. 2 of the drawings. During the last portion of the movement of the armature 21 as shown by FIG. 3 of the drawings, the slide roller 28 moves through the slotted cam portion 40 which because of its inclination causes the first vending gate 35 to move to the operated position out of the path of the first movable article 12 which is thereupon free to move to the dispensing or vending position of the vending machine.

A second gate member 45 is pivoted at 46 to have a normal position out of the path of the second article 13 as shown by FIG. 1 of the drawings. When the armature 21 starts to move upon energization of the solenoid coil 20 the roller 27 carried by the slide 23 engages the inclined surface 46 of the gate member 45 and moves the gate member 45 up to a position in the path of movement of the second article 13 as shown by FIG. 2 of the drawings. Upon deenergization of the coil 20 the spring 24 returns the slide 23 to its normal position shown by FIG. 1 in the drawings with the first gate 35 moved first into the path of movement of any articles on the slide on the slant shelf and with a second gate 45 then moved or returned to its normal position out of the path of the article so that the succeeding articles such as cans l3, l4 and may move down with can 13 abutting the first gate member 35.

As has been previously mentioned, it is possible that the articles such as the first article 12 will not immediately move on the inclined shelf when the gate member 35 is withdrawn to the operated position shown by FIG. 3 of the drawings. This condition may arise from the tendency of the article 12 such as a can to freeze into position on the shelf due to the refrigerated conditions under which the vending gate may operate. In order to. positively move the article 12 off of the inclined shelf as the first gate 35 is moved to the operated position, a pawl or finger 50 is pivotally mounted on the roller 28 and is moved by engagement of its inclined surface 51 with the pivot pin 36 to move into contact with the article or can 12 as shown by FIG. 3 of the drawings and positively move such article off of the inclined shelf. As is clearly shown by FIGS, 1 and 2 of the drawings, the pawl 59 has a normal position out of the path of movement of the articles but is moved up into contact with the first article 12 only during the last portion of the movement of the drive element or slide 23 when the solenoid coil is energized as shown by FIG. 3 of the drawings.

Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings a brief description of one form of circuit for controlling the energization of the solenoid coil 20 will be made although it should be understood that this invention is not concerned with a particular circuit therefore all of the details of the circuit as may be required for coin operation are not shown. A source of current is shown at 70 and a vending select switch of the pushbutton-type is shown at 71 to momentarily connect solenoid coil 20 to the source of current at the beginning of a vend operation. Since the pushbutton 7i will be only momentarily operated, a holding circuit for the solenoid coil 26? is provided through operated contacts 73 of the holding relay 72. The holding relay 72 is operated by the momentary operation of the pushbutton selector switch 71 through the normally closed switch contact 74 and the operated contact 75 of the holding relay 72 to maintain the holding relay 72 energized after the pushbutton 71 has been released. With the solenoid 20 energized and the gate member 35 moved to the operated position as shown by FIG. 3 of the drawings, the article 12 to be vended will move to the dispensing station and in its movement to the station it will pass over a trip arm 75 of the normally closed switch 74 to momentarily open the switch contact 74 and break the holding circuit for the holding relay 72 which thereupon restores to break the holding circuit through its then open contact 73 to the solenoid 20 which thereupon is deenergized to return the gate members 35 and 45 to their normal positions as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

It is believed that the operation of the vending gate mechanism of the invention has been fully described in connection with the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the gate mechanism and therefore further discussion of the operation of the gate mechanism is believed unnecessary. There has been described a simple and reliable form of vending gate mechanism that may be easily operated by a conventional solenoid and that uses parts that are simply fabricated from sheet metal and avoids the use of complicated cams and gearing mechanisms as would be required with the rotating motor-type of electric drive operation. Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A vending gate for dispensing a first article from a line of successively positioned gravitationally movable articles comrising, a first movable vending gate having a normal position in the path of the first article to prevent movement of the first article to a dispensing position, a second movable vending gate adjacent said first gate and having a normal position out of the path of the second article next behind said first article and movable into the path of movement of the second article to prevent movement of the second article to the dispensing position, a linearly reciprocable drive element having a normal position and an operated position with resilient means to maintain the drive element in the normal position, electric solenoid means to be energized to move said drive element to the operated position against the tension of said resilient means, first cam means interengaging said drive element and said second gate to move said second gate from the normal position to the position in the path of movement of said second article during a first part of the reciprocable movement of said drive element from its normal position to its operated position, second cam means interengaging said drive elementand said first gate to move said first gate from the normal position in the path of the first article to an operated position out of the path of the first article to allow movement of the first article to the dispensing position during the remainder of the movement of the drive element to its operated position after said second gate member has moved into the path of movement of said second article, said second cam means having a cam slot shaped to provide a lost motion to enable said drive element to first move from the normal position and move said second gate from its normal position before moving said first gate from its normal position, a source of electric power, means to connect said source to said solenoid means at the beginning of a vend operation, and cycle means to maintain the connection of said source to said solenoid as said drive element is moved from the normal position and to disconnect said source after said drive element reaches the operated position and an article has moved towards the dispensing position to thereby allow said drive means to return to its normal position at the end of the vend operation. 

1. A vending gate for dispensing a first article from a line of successively positioned gravitationally movable articles comprising, a first movable vending gate having a normal position in the path of the first article to prevent movement of the first article to a dispensing position, a second movable vending gate adjacent said first gate and having a normal position out of the path of the second article next behind said first article and movable into the path of movement of the second article to prevent movement of the second article to the dispensing position, a linearly reciprocable drive element having a normal position and an operated position with resilient means to maintain the drive element in the normal position, electric solenoid means to be energized to move said drive element to the operated position against the tension of said resilient means, first cam means interengaging said drive element and said second gate to move said second gate from the normal position to the position in the path of movement of said second article during a first part of the reciprocable movement of said drive element from its normal position to its operated position, second cam means interengaging said drive element and said first gate to move said first gate from the normal position in the path of the first article to an operated position out of the path of the first article to allow movement of the first article to the dispensing position during the remainder of the movement of the drive element to its operated position after said second gate member has moved into the path of movement of said second article, said second cam means having a cam slot shaped to provide a lost motion to enable said drive element to first move from the normal position and move said second gate from its normal position before moving said first gate from its normal position, a source of electric power, means to connect said source to said solenoid means at the beginning of a vend operation, and cycle means to maintain the connection of said source to said solenoid as said drive element is moved from the normal position and to disconnect said source after said drive element reaches the operated position and an article has moved towards the dispensing position to thereby allow said drive means to return to its normal position at the end of the vend operation. 